iPod faithful worship ‘product of the moment’

The iPod is "the product of the moment" from one of the "world's most successful companies", according to the BBC.

By
Macworld staff
, | 22 Apr 05

The iPod is "the product of the moment" from one of the "world's most successful companies", according to the BBC.

Apple is praised in the article for managing to: "Turn its product into an object of adoration, into something people want to buy whether they need it or not, something they want to buy as something that defines themselves. And that is very good business indeed."

The article also looks at the "cult of Mac" and suggests that a "global sociological phenomenon [is] going on".

Pope-ular

It also quotes Italian philosopher, Umberto Eco, who once wrote that Macintosh is Catholic while Microsoft computers are Protestant.

Umberto Eco suggested that Macs were "cheerful, friendly, conciliatory," like Catholicism (apparently). He also suggested that Macs would "tell the faithful how they must proceed step by step to reach - if not the Kingdom of Heaven - the moment in which their document is printed".

In contrast Microsoft is like the Protestant faith, which he thought would "allow free interpretation of scripture, demand difficult personal decisions... And take for granted that not all can reach salvation. To make the system work you need to interpret the program yourself".

The BBC programme - From Our Own Correspondent - in which the iPod was discussed, was broadcast on Thursday, 21 April, 2005 at 11am on BBC Radio 4.